Identification system

• US 20040108377A1
• Filed: 09/11/2003
• Published: 06/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
• Original Assignee: Integrity Engineering Incorporated
• Inventors: Rietveld, Robert Victor
• Granted Patent: US 7,219,837 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00825 remotely by lines or wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00865 remotely by wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence

Abstract

Disclosed is a system for uniquely identifying an entity includes a wireless identification device with a controller mechanism for wirelessly communicating and acquiring, processing and transmitting data. A reader device having a controller mechanism acquires, processes and transmits data and a sensing mechanism is in communication with the reader device for acquiring, processing and transmitting data from the wireless identification device. A wireless control device is included for communicating with the reader device and can communicate with and configure the reader device, the wireless identification device or subsequent wireless identification devices. A method of uniquely identifying an entity is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A system for uniquely identifying an entity, comprising:

at least one wireless identification device having at least one controller mechanism for wireless communication and configured to acquire, process and/or transmit data signals;

a reader device having;

(i) at least one controller mechanism configured to acquire, process and/or transmit data signals; and

(ii) a sensing mechanism in communication with the reader device controller mechanism and configured to acquire, process and/or transmit data transmitted from the wireless identification device controller mechanism; and

at least one wireless control device having at least one controller mechanism for wireless communication with the reader device controller mechanism and configured to acquire, process and/or transmit data signals, wherein the wireless control device controller mechanism is further configured to at least one of;

(i) communicate with and configure the reader device controller mechanism;

(ii) communicate with and configure the wireless identification device controller mechanism via the reader device controller mechanism; and

(iii) communicate with and configure a subsequent wireless identification device controller mechanism via the reader device controller mechanism.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein, in operation, the wireless control device controller mechanism wirelessly communicates specified data signals to the reader device controller mechanism and the reader device performs an action sequence based upon the data signals.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the data signals are control signals and the action sequence includes communicating with and configuring at least one of the reader device controller mechanism and the wireless identification device controller mechanism.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the configuration of the at least one of the wireless identification device controller mechanism and the reader device controller mechanism includes at least one of:

(i) storing a unique identification value representative of the identity of the wireless identification device on at least one of the reader device controller mechanism and the wireless identification device controller mechanism; and

(ii) erasing at least a portion of the data on at least one of the reader device controller mechanism and the wireless identification device controller mechanism.

5. The system of claim 3, further comprising a scanner device in communication with the reader device controller mechanism and configured to acquire, process and/or transmit data signals representative of at least one unique characteristic of the entity.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the entity is a person and the unique characteristic is a biometric property of the person.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the biometric property is one of a fingerprint, a retinal print, and a dermal sample.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the configuration of the wireless identification device controller mechanism includes at least one of:

(i) storing the data representative of the unique characteristic of the entity on at least one of the wireless identification device controller mechanism and the reader device controller mechanism; and

(ii) erasing at least a portion of the data representative of the unique characteristic of the entity on at least one of the wireless identification device controller mechanism and the reader device controller mechanism.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the data signals are control signals and the action sequence includes communicating with a subsequent wireless control device controller mechanism.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the action sequence includes at least one of reading, configuring and verifying the subsequent wireless control device.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a structure integrated controller mechanism in communication with the reader device controller mechanism and configured to acquire, process and/or transmit data signals.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein, in operation, at least one of the wireless identification device controller mechanism and the wireless control device controller mechanism wirelessly communicates specified data signals to the reader device controller mechanism and the reader device performs an action sequence based upon the data signals.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the structure integrated controller mechanism is in communication with a lock mechanism which, in turn, is in communication with an access point and is configured to prevent access through the access point and the action sequence is temporarily disabling the lock mechanism.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising a scanner device in communication with the reader device controller mechanism and configured to acquire, process and/or transmit data signals representative of at least one unique characteristic of the entity.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the entity is a person and the unique characteristic is a biometric property of the person.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the biometric property is one of a fingerprint, a retinal print, and a dermal sample.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein, in operation, at least one of the wireless identification device controller mechanism and the wireless control device controller mechanism wirelessly communicates specified data signals to the reader device controller mechanism and the reader device performs an action sequence based upon the data signals, including data representative of at least one unique characteristic of the entity.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the structure integrated controller mechanism is in communication with a lock mechanism which, in turn, is in communication with an access point and is configured to prevent access through the access point and the action sequence is temporarily disabling the lock mechanism.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the wireless identification device and the wireless control device is in the form of a portable card.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the wireless identification controller mechanism, the reader device controller mechanism and the wireless control device controller mechanism are in the form of a printed circuit board.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the reader device is in the form of an enclosed housing having at least a portion configured to allow for the acquisition and transmission of data signals therethrough.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the reader device further includes at least one of an audio indication device and a visual indication device in communication with and controlled by the reader device controller mechanism.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the audio indication device is in the form of a speaker and the visual indication device is in the form of a plurality of LEDs.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless identification device and the wireless control device, and the respective controller mechanisms, are integrated in a single portable medium.

25. A system for uniquely identifying an entity, comprising:

at least one wireless identification device having at least one controller mechanism for wireless communication and configured to acquire, process and/or transmit data signals;

a reader device having;

(i) at least one controller mechanism configured to acquire, process and/or transmit data signals; and

(ii) a sensing mechanism in communication with the reader device controller mechanism and configured to acquire, process and/or transmit data transmitted from the wireless identification device controller mechanism;

at least one wireless control device having at least one controller mechanism for wireless communication with the reader device controller mechanism and configured to acquire, process and/or transmit data signals, wherein the wireless control device controller mechanism is further configured to at least one of;

(i) communicate with and configure the reader device controller mechanism;

(ii) communicate with and configure the wireless identification device controller mechanism via the reader device controller mechanism; and

(iii) communicate with and configure a subsequent wireless identification device controller mechanism via the reader device controller mechanism; and

a scanner device in communication with the reader device controller mechanism and configured to acquire, process and/or transmit data signals representative of at least one unique characteristic of the entity;

wherein the data signals include control signals and an action sequence includes communicating with and configuring at least one of the reader device controller mechanism and the wireless identification device controller mechanism,

wherein the configuration of the wireless identification device controller mechanism includes at least one of;

(i) storing the data representative of the unique characteristic of the entity on at least one of the wireless identification device controller mechanism and the reader device controller mechanism; and

(ii) erasing at least a portion of the data representative of the unique characteristic of the entity on at least one of the wireless identification device controller mechanism and the reader device controller mechanism.

26. A method of uniquely identifying an entity, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing at least one wireless identification device;

(b) providing a reader device;

(c) providing at least one wireless control device;

(d) providing a scanner device;

(e) acquiring data signals representative of at least one unique characteristic of the entity by the scanning device;

(f) communicating the data to the reader device; and

(g) controlling, by the wireless control device, at least one of the storage and the erasure of the data representative of the unique characteristic of the entity on the wireless identification device, via the reader device.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of configuring the reader device by the wireless control device.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of configuring the wireless identification device by the wireless control device via the reader device.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of configuring a subsequent wireless identification device by the wireless control device via the reader device.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising the steps of:

wirelessly communicating specified data signals by the wireless control device to the reader device; and

performing an action sequence by the reader device based upon the data signals.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the entity is a person and the unique characteristic is a biometric property of the person.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the biometric property is one of a fingerprint, a retinal print and a dermal sample.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein at least one of the wireless identification device and the wireless control device is in the form of a portable card.

34. The method of claim 26, wherein the reader device is in the form of an enclosed housing having at least a portion for allowing the acquisition and transmission of data signals therethrough.

35. The method of claim 26, wherein the reader device further includes at least one of an audio indication device and a visual indication device in communication with and controlled by the reader device.